Welcome to the National Maji Maji Memorial Museum

The National Maji Maji Memorial Museum is one among the six National Museums of Tanzania. It is the only Museum in Tanzania that portrays the history of the Maji Maji war and only conserves, protects and preserves some of the original weapons and tools used during the Maji Maji war of 1905 to 1907 in the region. The Museum is located at the Maji Maji worrior’s cemetery. 

The Museum was opened to public on 6th July 1980. Since then its ownership was changing back and forth between the Regional authority, the Elder’s Council and the Songea Municipalty.This went on until on 8th December 2009 when it was handed over to the National Museum of Tanzania after the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism declared it under the National Museum Act No. 7 of 1980. The Municipality of Songea and Ruvuma region in general has a unique history to reckon with that centred on the Maji Maji war. The war got its name from “magic water” given by a medicine man of Rufiji basin,famously Kinjekitile Ngwale; where the water was supposed to give the fighters a protection against German bullets, changing them to water. At the end of the war, more than 75,000 people from eastern and- southern Tanzania were left dead, including more than 1000 from Ruvuma region .People directly killed in the region were Ngoni and Matengo Chiefs, sub-Chiefs and their henchmen who were captured during the battle. These were convicted and finally hanged publically on 27th February 1906 in Songea town. This unique history depicts the commitment and eagerness of Tanzanians toward emancipation from colonialism, and reclaiming their lost freedom from the German administration.